All Of Us are Broken by Fiona Cummins

 

Thank you Pan Macmillan for my review copy.

This novel, to put it mildly, packs a punch! Missy and Fox are two individuals who should never have gotten together. They have both had horrific childhoods which have left them hating the world and seeking relevance. They embark on a killing spree with the end goal of going out in a blaze of glory, just like Bonnie and Clyde. Of course, Bonnie and Clyde’s notoriety came from robbing banks, not wholesale murder for murder’s sake, but Missy and Fox aren’t going to become famous for anything else.

The brilliance of Fiona Cummins is in delving deep into the psyche of each of her characters. DC Saul Anguish and forensic linguist Dr Clover March, known as Blue, have a deep connection, the intensity of which almost sets the pages on fire with just a few well chosen words. They also share a moral code and the belief that justice should be seen to be delivered.

Also central to the story are Christine Hardwicke and her children. They are heading for Scotland to The Lodge on the Loch, a beautiful hotel in a remote area where 13 year-old Galen is hoping to see dolphins in Loch Tummell. She has told her little brother, Tommy, about dolphins, and the mother and children are all starting to feel their constant blanket of sadness beginning to lift as they get closer to their destination. Their detailed background story had me wishing for some happiness for them, but it’s no spoiler to say the prologue puts that in doubt.

This is a dark, superbly dramatic, thrilling, shocking story. Having been put through the emotional mill over the two days it took to read it, I have come out the other side desperately trying to find words to do it justice. I don’t think my usual cor blimey is going to cut it. It’s a fantastic book and no one who reads it looking for superior crime fiction will be disappointed. 

The book’s title is perfect! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Published by Pan Macmillan